Greencastle was one of the many recipients to receive the OCRA grant, and no. It’s not a lifetime supply of the curious little vegetable found in soups or deep fried on a buffet table.

The Indiana Office of Community and Rural Affairs, or OCRA, works with communities, most notably with grants, to restore, repair, and revitalize in order to help improve the quality of life for the citizens in those communities.

Many communities throughout the state apply for grants throughout the year and this year Greencastle was chosen to receive a grant.  The City plans on using the $700k grant for the water system; new generator at the plant, replacement water trunk on Albin Pond Road, and fire hydrant upgrades as well as new fire hydrants.

The new generator for the water plant will be 6kw, bigger than the current generator, so the plant can keep running during power outages. Currently, the plant can only maintain minimal operation, requiring manual operation, during power outages.

The replacement water trunk on Albin Pond Road will actually be in three different segments, running from Shadowlawn to Toddson Drive. The current water main along Albin Pond was described as being in “rough shape.”

Throughout the City of Greencastle, nine fire hydrants need upgrades to maintain code. The city will also be able add ten additional fire hydrants to areas deemed necessary.

This OCRA grant, when added to a match from the Water Works budget savings, comes to a total of $1.2 million. Because money was saved by the water department and the OCRA grant was received, the city hopes to temper any future rate increases. The City is looking to do the engineering this winter and start the Albin Pond Road construction the summer of 2022.